Winter golf may not sound appealing to everyone, but those willing to battle the elements will be well-placed to start the new season ahead of the curve. While Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are fortunate to experience year-round climates that allow local and visiting golfers to keep their clubs out throughout the year, there are still certain times when it’s far from ideal.
With temperatures in the 50s or low 60s (or sometimes colder), avid golfers will be preparing to find their winter golf attire to brave the forces of nature. Shorter daylight hours, dormant grass, and a time when many golf courses will use winter months as an opportunity to make changes due to the lesser activity are all obstacles that year-round golfers will need to overcome. Those who do this can expect to be perfectly prepared to start the new golf season ready to beat those that put their clubs away for the season.
Here are the best ways you can ensure your golf game remains sharp throughout the winter months on the courses along Alabama's Beaches.
Stretching Routine & Stay Warm
Stretching before playing golf in the winter is critical to staying injury-free, getting your blood flowing, and creating warmth throughout your body. In colder temperatures, it’s essential to try to stay warm. The more you can stretch, the easier it will be to maintain your flexibility, which is crucial in your golf swing and keeping your energy levels high.
Develop a pre-round stretching routine that you can stick to. This will not only set a solid foundation for you to remain healthy throughout the round, but it will translate into your golf swing. Stretching and increasing your range of motion can help make your movements more natural and keep your club on the proper swing plane.
Don’t Forget the Driving Range or Home
Golf is not just about visiting the golf course and seeing how many holes you can complete before it gets dark! Focused practice is critical, and visiting the driving range, such as the Orange Beach Golf Center & Driving Range, is a great way to achieve this. Whether you are looking to work on swing mechanics or perhaps fine-tune your short game skills on the practice green or chipping area, spending a couple of hours at the range is a great way to improve your winter golf game during the winter months.
Of course, there may be some days when the weather is unrelenting, and instead, you may want to focus your practice session at home. Depending on your space, you may consider purchasing a practice net that you can put together in your garage or other area. This is a great way to continue swinging your clubs, working on your ball contact, and even perhaps working on putting on your bedroom carpet!
For those looking to take their game to the next level, technology has advanced to allow golf simulators to be created at home, frequently at an affordable price. You can spend as much as you want, but you will always want to go back to the course as nothing can replace the on-course experience.
Visit the Gym
Lifting weights and working on your cardio activity is an excellent way to not only stay in shape physically but also to build core strength to help you become more flexible and, of course, hit the ball further.
Be sure to work on the right areas when you visit the gym. During the initial phase, ensure you emphasize lifting moderately heavy weights to train your nervous system in conjunction with the muscle fibers to help with larger loads. From here, you are then developing the power to help move those loads managed in phase one as quickly as possible. Translated into golfing terms, you focus on driving into the back of the ball and ensuring your swing speed is at the highest level to achieve maximum power.
Have you ever wondered how pros hit the ball so far? Technology certainly helps, but they also spend hours in the gym every day focusing on certain key areas of the golf swing to enhance their flexibility and build muscle strength, which will help in several situations around the course. Whether it’s hitting from deep rough or carrying a hazard from the tee box, you’ll be well positioned to achieve great things on the course, along with having endurance throughout all 18 holes.
Lower Your Expectations
The winter months are not for achieving career-best scores on the golf course. The colder temperatures impact the distance a golf ball will travel, the wet conditions may create more difficult shots that you cannot control, and many courses may be going through a transition phase in preparation for the new season. If you need to lift and place your ball, don’t be afraid to do so.
All of these combined create a challenging experience, so don’t be discouraged if your scores are higher. Remember, the key to playing golf in winter is to maintain those reps in your golf swing and, most importantly, have fun!
Dress for Golfing in the Cold
While trying to figure out what to wear when playing golf in the winter may sound simplistic and rather intuitive, the key is ensuring you have sufficient layers to keep warm. Not only will this create an enjoyable experience for you at the course or range, but you can also take off layers as needed, especially as you start swinging, which typically will lead to you generating more warmth throughout your body.
Golf in the winter months typically will mean long pants (save those shorts for the summer, as you likely won’t be working too much on your tan in the middle of December!), a sweater (or rain jacket in some instances), and hand-warmers. The options for winter golfing attire are endless, but ultimately, it’s about being comfortable.
